S2 | 5. PICKY EATING SERIES: Anxiety, the Nervous System, & Your Child's Complex Picky Eating

My new online course, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Naturally Navigating Picky Eating⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, for parents of children with complex picky eating (with and without developmental conditions), is OPEN for enrollment!

On this fifth and final episode of the Picky Eating Series this week, during the launch of Naturally Navigating Picky Eating, I'm discussing the connections between anxiety, the nervous system, and your child's complex picky eating.

The episode starts with a very brief overview of the nervous system in layman's terms, how it relates to your child's anxiety generally speaking and more specifically with food + mealtimes.

Having a regulated nervous system helps children feel a sense of safety and well-being within their body and environment, which is so needed for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. We want kids to be in a "rest and digest" state for mealtimes.

I’ll share how you can use external supports, like changing the environment or using diet + nutrition and lifestyle strategies to help support your child's nervous system regulation.

We also cover unique cases that can be related to children with complex picky eating, where pathogens are actually contributing to immune system dysregulation and there's a low-level inflammatory response, impacting the nervous system (in PANS/PANDAS conditions, specifically).

Listen in for a variety of ideas to support your child's nervous system regulation to help bring down their anxiety and improve their relationship with food and mealtimes... Starting with supporting your nervous system regulation during mealtimes.

You can listen directly below or on iTunes, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.

If you want to keep learning and receive more guided support to help your child overcome complex picky eating, ⁠⁠⁠LEARN MORE & ENROLL in Naturally Navigating Picky Eating today⁠⁠⁠!

S2 | 4. PICKY EATING SERIES: Is Your Child’s Picky Eating Driving You Crazy? The Importance of Staying Neutral...

My new online course, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Naturally Navigating Picky Eating⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, for parents of children with complex picky eating (with and without developmental conditions), is OPEN for enrollment!

⁠CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & ENROLL TODAY

Does your child's picky eating sometimes drive you a little...crazy? I hear this all the time! I know you know you're not alone, don't you? Let's talk about it!

Tying in the concepts from the previous episodes in this Picky Eating Series, I'm sharing the importance of staying neutral in the times when you're feeling the most annoyed, frustrated, and defeated when it comes to your child's picky eating.

Not only am I discussing why the importance of staying neutral during these times (you can likely already infer why it is), you'll also hear me share actionable strategies and tips that you can implement TODAY, at your family's next mealtime!

You can listen directly below or on iTunes, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.

If you want to keep learning and receive more guided support on how to bring more ease and joy to your family's mealtimes, ⁠⁠⁠LEARN MORE & ENROLL in Naturally Navigating Picky Eating today⁠⁠⁠!

S2 | 1. PICKY EATING SERIES: Reframing the Goal of Mealtimes

The podcast is back! AND...

My new online course, ⁠⁠Naturally Navigating Picky Eating⁠⁠, is LIVE and open for enrollment! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & ENROLL TODAY!⁠⁠

Have you ever wanted to ask, "How do I get my child to eat [whatever food it is]?" -- It's a question I hear all the time!

Instead of asking how to get your child to eat [this or that new food], I'm encouraging you to zoom out and meet your child where he/she is!

In this episode, I'm offering a perspective shift for parents of children with complex picky eating, encouraging a reframing of the goal at mealtimes... Removing so much of that pressure that's placed on your child, on you, on the mealtimes in general.

The goal should always be: A long-standing healthy relationship with food, mealtimes, and their body... and you, as their parent and/or caregiver! Tune in to hear how to develop this with time, consistency, and patience.

You can listen directly below or on iTunes, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.

"Picky Eating": What's Developmentally Appropriate & How to Know When it's a More Complex Issue

Would you describe your child as a “picky eater”? Many parents of young children do!

How do you know when it’s developmentally appropriate vs. when is it a more complex issue to investigate and seek support? I’m here to help you understand this distinction and determine the answer for your child (and/or clients).

As an integrative Speech-Language Pathologist and pediatric feeding specialist, in addition to being a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Epidemic Answers Certified Health Coach, my passion is working with parents who are navigating complex picky eating and/or neurodevelopmental conditions (often overlapping but not always).

The term “picky eating” is so broad and often overused for kids who really do have a more complex issue, like a pediatric feeding disorder. Most pediatric and family health, wellness, and developmental providers are not properly trained to understand the full scope of “picky eating” (like knowing when it’s a real problem for families, how to help, and where to refer them based on the issue).

Let’s take a look at what’s considered developmentally appropriate vs. what would be considered a more complex issue…

Please note: The following lists of “picky eating” criteria were largely inspired by, and some contents were adapted directly from, S.O.S. Approach to Feeding, "Picky Eaters versus Problem Feeders", by Dr. Kay A. Toomey.

Developmentally Appropriate “Picky Eating”:

• Child is within toddler to preschool age and…[see below]

• Will eat at least 30 different foods

• Eats at least one food from most food textures and/or nutrition groups

• May really enjoy a certain food for a while then "burn out" on it, then re-introduce in a couple weeks

• Is able to emotionally tolerate the sight of new foods on the table and on their plate most of the time

• Will usually, sometimes hesitantly, touch or taste a new food

• Typically eats with the family but not uncommon for them to sometimes have a different meal or different variations of the family meal

• “Picky eating” seems to come and go (it’s not every single meal, every single day)

• Sometimes reported as a "picky eater" to health providers

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When I use the term complex picky eating, I’m referring to when a child's picky eating / self-restricted eating habits are not developmentally appropriate and are persistently & consistently causing quality of life issues for the child and/or family.

Some synonymous or sometimes co-occurring terms could also be: Pediatric Feeding Disorders, problem feeders, extreme picky eating, severe picky eating, etc.

Note: These terms listed above are not always exactly synonymous and/or co-occurring with what I’m describing as complex picky eating. Ex: There are some children who have Pediatric Feeding Disorders (PFD) who I would not consider complex picky eaters, but sometimes children with complex picky eating have a presence and/or history of a Pediatric Feeding Disorder.

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Complex Picky Eating:

• Child’s “picky eating” consistently creates a quality of life issue for the child and/or family (unpleasant mealtimes and feelings of stress, overwhelm, defeat, etc.)

• If your child has a developmental delay(s), neurodevelopmental condition(s), or other special need(s) as well as the presence of “picky eating” that impacts your child and/or family’s quality of life

• If your child has a diagnosed chronic health condition or the persistent unwanted chronic health symptoms as well as the presence of “picky eating” that impacts your child and/or family’s quality of life

• Child is outside of those toddler to preschool age years and still has regular persistent “picky eating” tendencies

• If in toddler to preschool years and...[see below]

• Typically self-limited down to eating less than 20 different foods

• May really love a food, eat it often and consistently, then seems to "burn out" on it

  • For these kids, foods that become "food jags" are generally not easily reintroduced once they’re lost or “burnt out” on them (at least not for a long, long, time)

• Child has a very difficult time emotionally tolerating the sight of new and/or unpreferred foods on their plate

  • May whine, cry, protest, push away plate, take the new or unpreferred food off right away, etc. Full refusal of the new or unpreferred food(s)

  • Child's reaction to new or unpreferred foods causes an emotional disruption in the mealtime

• Refuses certain food textures or nutritional groups entirely

• Almost always eats a different meal than the rest of the family and often doesn't eat with the family during mealtimes (sometimes because the family’s food bothers the child)

• Consistently reported as a "picky eater" to health providers

Pediatric Feeding Disorder:

Pediatric Feeding Disorder is the official diagnostic term that some of the children with what I’m often referring to as complex picky eating could potentially qualify for. Typically I choose to use “complex picky eating” more often in my content because it’s more “parent friendly” / what parents are internet searching, at least initially.

It is estimated that 1 in 37 children in the United States under the age of 5 has a Pediatric Feeding Disorder.

According to Manikam & Perman (2000), “Pediatric feeding disorders are common: 25% of children are reported to present with some form of feeding disorder. This number increases to 80% in developmentally delayed children. Consequences of feeding disorders can be severe, including growth failure, susceptibility to chronic illness, and even death. Feeding disorders occur in children who are healthy, who have gastrointestinal disorders, and in those with special needs.”

Raising awareness and identification are the first steps!

I hope that this information helps clarify what is developmentally appropriate vs. what’s a more complex picky eating issue.

I encourage you to explore the contents of the site further and/or listen in to Speaking of Health & Wellness: The Podcast where I dive much deeper into this topic and give action steps that you can use at home! You can find the podcast here on the site and on major podcast platforms.

This podcast episode pairs well with this blog:

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Are you ready to learn how to help your child overcome complex picky eating and bring more ease and joy to mealtimes?

Enroll today in Naturally Navigating Picky Eating, a self-paced online course + guide for parents and caregivers of children with complex picky eating, with and without developmental conditions…

Five Nutrients for a Healthy Brain & Which Foods to Find Them in

As the title shares, Episode 12 covers 5 nutrients for a healthy brain, not just for development and but also for general brain health! I share which foods to find these nutrients in and a variety of ways to incorporate these whole foods into your child's diet. I’m sharing insights and creative ways to improve your child's willingness to tolerate and try these new or even non-preferred foods. Hope you enjoy it!

Mentioned in the show: 

Michelle Hoover from Unboundwellness.com - GFCF (AIP) Recipes - Salmon Cakes

Tony Mitra's work regarding organic chickpeas in North America containing glyphosate

Traumatic Brain Injuries, Leaky Brain-Leaky Gut, and Picky Eating...What's the Connection?

You may have heard of "leaky gut - leaky brain" but have you heard it the other way around? "Leaky brain- Leaky gut"?

In this episode, we're covering "leaky brain - leaky gut", primary and secondary brain injuries, a brief overview of the nervous system and the gut-brain connection, as well as the biochemical and neurobiological ways that complex picky eating can develop following a traumatic brain injury or even after a concussion that doesn't seem too significant or traumatic in nature.

We'll explore some beginning nutrition and lifestyle tips and strategies you may want to consider, regardless of how long it's been since the traumatic brain injury took place (although, the sooner the better of course). We'll cover how and why individuals with TBIs develop food and environmental sensitivities and what you can do to help support them, especially when it comes to complex picky eating.

If you're brand new to these topics of "gut health" and the gut brain connection, please visit Episode 6 titled, "How "Gut Health" Impacts Your Child's Health and Development" and then come back to this one. Episodes 6-10 are absolutely relevant to listen into if this resonates with you!

Do you know someone who could benefit from this information?

Please help spread this information to those who need it most by sharing this episode with them. Thank you so much for helping Speaking of Health & Wellness support more families and providers!

Enjoy the episode!

Could Your Child’s Physical and Behavioral Symptoms Be Caused By the Food They’re Eating?

Could your child’s physical and behavioral symptoms be caused by the food they’re eating? There are a number of ways that foods can impact children's health, physically and bio-behaviorally.

If your child struggles with complex picky eating, this one is for you!

If your child has developmental delays or a known neurodevelopmental condition, like autism spectrum disorders, ADHDs, speech-language disorders, sensory processing disorders, etc. then this one is for you!

If your child is struggling with a host of chronic health issue symptoms, this one is for you!

Did you know that over half of American children and millennials today have a diagnosable chronic health issue? Food and environmental reactions are very much involved here...

In this episode, I'm sharing an overview of the difference between food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerances. We'll cover the most common food allergies and sensitivities, as well as what physical and behavioral symptoms are seen in children with food reactions.

I share what to do if you think your child is experiencing negative reactions to their foods, starting with "cleaning up the diet overall", then navigating food sensitivity testing, and guidance around food elimination/reintroduction diets for food reactions.

Enjoy the episode! I hope that it's insightful and supportive for where you are on your journey!

Mentioned in the show:

Dr. Doris Rapp on The Phil Donahue Show (1989)